their thumbs,” CirrusMD co-founder Dr. Blake
McKinney said.
CirrusMD and rivals like 98point6 and K Health
offer message-based treatment for injuries or
minor illnesses normally handled by a doctor’s
office or clinic. They say they’re even more
convenient than the video telemedicine that
many employers and insurers now offer, because
patients accustomed to Uber-like convenience
can text with a doctor while riding a bus or
waiting in a grocery store line.
Millions of Americans have access to these
services. The companies are growing thanks to
a push to improve care access, keep patients
healthy and limit expensive emergency room
visits. Walmart’s Sam’s Club, for instance, recently
announced that it would offer 98point6 visits as
part of a customer care program it is testing.
But some doctors worry about the quality of
care provided by physicians who won’t see
their patients and might have a limited medical
history to read before deciding treatment.
“If the business opportunity is huge, there’s a
risk that that caution is pushed aside,” said Dr.
Thomas Bledsoe, a member of the American
College of Physicians.
Message-based care providers say they take
steps to ensure safety and recommend in-
person doctor visits when necessary. Nguyen,
for instance, once urged an 85-year-old woman
who contacted CirrusMD about crushing chest
pain to head to an emergency room.
These companies note that a thorough medical
history is not crucial for every case. They also
say doctors don’t always need vital signs like
temperature and blood pressure, but they can
coach patients through taking them if necessary.
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